The Prompter

October, 1998

Hello Dolly cast

The Village Players has once again put together a large and multitalented cast for this fall’s production of “Hello Dolly!”, scheduled for six performances in November. Dan Charlton will play Horace Vandergelder, the cantankerous half-a-millionaire on whom Dolly Gallagher Levi. Played by Diane Sullivan, has set her sights. Both are longtime Village Players members. Michael Haeger, last seen as the evil Bill Sikes in “Oliver”, will tackle the role of Cornelius Hackl, Vandergelder’s chief clerk who's looking for adventure and finds romance along the way. Darrell Keene, Jr., a Village Players newcomer, is Cornelius’ energetic coworker and partner in calamity, Barnaby Hackl. Carol Light, who last directed “Oliver” and “My Fair Lady”, takes a turn on stage as Irene Malloy, the millineress who is also longing for adventure, and Caitlin Corson plays the vivacious yet innocent Minnie Faye, Mrs. Malloy’s shop assistant. In addition, Ed Dunkel, last seen as Murray the cop in “The Odd Couple”, plays Rudolph Reisenweber, the maitre d’ of the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant. Newcomer Beth Champagne of Franklin will play Vandergelder’s weepy niece, Ermengarde, and longtime Village Player Wayne Gehman, seen as Fagin in “Oliver,” will play Ambrose Kemper. Helen White, also a VP veteran, will play Ernestina Money.
The cast also includes a chorus comprised of numerous Village Players veterans and some new faces as well. The chorus includes Sarah Breslin, Judy Breuninger, Mary Nightingale Campbell, Hannah Croteau, Maggie Croteau, Pat Eischen, Millie Gawlicki, John Gillette, Jerome Holden, Delina Ingram, Paul Johnson, Beth Krainchich, Anne Levergood, Corky Mork, Willie Mork, Maureen O’Connor, Jane O”Meara, Carole Pralle, Dean Richardson, Alice Tuttle, and Brian Wadlinger.
Megan Brady is assistant director, co-stage managers are Diane Ducret and Jan Croteau. Carol Bense is once again guiding the principals and chorus through the vocal challenges this show presents. A crack set design/construction crew includes Richard Croteau, John Gillette, Russ Ellis and Jason Vaggy. The pit orchestra will include Jan Stanley on keyboards, Bob Copplestone on trumpet, and Megan Brady on flute.
Performances will be held at the Village Players’ theater on Glendon Street on Nov. 13, 14, 15 and 20, 21 and 22. Friday and Saturday night shows are at 8 pm; tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Sunday performances will be at 2 pm, with tickets $8/$10. They will be on sale at Black’s Paper Store at the end of October. General admission only.
 

Open House at the Theater

Well, we needed lots of help to get the building cleaned up and sparkling again for our Open House which we held on July 25th, and we got it. Weren't you there? Too bad, because we had a lot of fun as well as getting the place up to snuff. Here's the people who came to help: Becky Bense, Carol Bense, Bonnie Cooper, Hannah Croteau, Jan Croteau, Rich Croteau, Diane Ducret, Ed Dunkel, Joanne Dunkel, Willie Dunkel, Wayne Gehman, Barbara Hobbie, Willie Mork, Bob Pralle, and Carol Pralle. Great work guys. The place looked wonderful for the open house. Jerome Holden made us a great sign to put up outside the building and we had a turnout of about 40-50 people at the open house. There was a contest for a $50 prize kindly donated by Barbara Hobbie and Rick Manke, and several drawings for free tickets to The Odd Couple. So thanks everyone for all your help with this project.
 

VP Presents Chicken Barbecue at the Street Fair.

Once again we were asked to do the Chicken Barbecue for the Huggins Hospital Street Fair this year. We agreed to do it in spite of the fact that it was taking place on the same night as one of our performances of The Odd Couple. This made it a bit more difficult to get help because many people were involved in the show and not available. However we managed to pass muster and get a good turnout. Some people had to leave a little early to get ready for the show and some came a little late as we didn't need everyone there to cook, but we neeed them to serve. A huge thanks to the following people who helped out on this: Carol Bense, Ted Bense, Louise Gehman, Wayne Gehman, Michael Haeger, Bob Light, Dottie Light, Willie Mork, Rhoda Nute, Jean Plummer, Dean Richardson, Alice Tuttle, Jeff Urquhart, Michael Wilkes and Stephen Wilkes. Willie brought us funny hats to wear and of course we all wore our Village Players T-shirts, even Ted who is not a Village Player. Jeff brought up his fancy yellow truck for us to hang a Village Players sign on. Ted, Wayne, Michael H, Dean, Jeff, Michael W and Stephen all slaved over the coals getting the chicken to just the right  temperature, and Carol found a new way to baste it, just ask her. Then we all served to the crowds of peop1e from the fair right up to 7:30 when we all went off and left Stephen with the last few chickens to sell. We're not sure how he did it, but he did it. Another job well done thanks to lots of help and cooperation.

Friends of the Village Players benefit Christmas Sale.

Save these dates! On November 5, 6 and 7 Village Players friends Di Hopewell and Leigh Roessiger will present their second annual Doncaster Christmas gift show and sale at our  theater from 10 am to 5 pm. Profits from the sale will benefit our Building Fund. Please come and choose from the many fine gifts and help a worthy cause (us!). Di and Leigh are looking for volunteers to bake cookies and/or be hostesses on the days of the sale. Call Willie at  569-2687 if you can help.
 

PROP CALL!

DO YOU HAVE IT?
The Village Players Summer Show for 1999 is She Loves Me, and we (Rosemary and Scott Lounsbury) have a prop request: Any product that you purchase on a regular basis which comes in a tube, carton, bottle, box, jar, container, etc... which could pass for some type of cosmetic or health/beauty aid which might have been found in a cosmetic shop in the 1930’s: Please will you save the container? Examples Shampoo, conditioner, jars of face cream, soaps, boxes of toothpaste, even containers of non-cosmetic items like mustard or ammonia or small light bulbs...if they could (from a distance) pass for this type of thing, we want your empties!! Are you friendly with someone who is a hair dresser or barber? Or manicurist? Or electrician? Cosmetologist? Pharmacist? There will be a box at the theater for depositing said items. (Please clean out any containers which may attract insects or mold or start to smell icky.)
The goal is to be able to attach these items to shelves, in order that they appear to be for sale in a shop.  As you can imagine, the necessity is for the items to be of the exact same size and shape and color. If we start collecting now, we should have an entire store to stock by summer.  (Nine Months Away!) Thanks so very much!
By the way, if anyone would like to read the script to She Loves Me,or listen to the Broadway Cast Album, please feel free to call us at569-2599.  It’s a neat show, written by the same team (Bock and Harnick) that brought us Fiddler on the Roof and Fiorello. It’s a “Small Musical” (if that’s not an oxymoron) Cast size requires 14 but we can use up to about 25 if we get the actors.
Annual Meeting scheduled for December 6
The Village Players will hold its annual meeting at 5 pm on December 6 at out theater. On the agenda will be election of officers for 1999, as well as a vote to accept the revised bylaws. All paid members are encouraged to attend. After the short business meeting, we will have a potluck supper and a chance to catch up with fellow Village Players.
Anyone wishing to run for office or with suggestions for candidates should contact the chair of the nominating committee, Diane Sullivan at 539-4951. Offices to be filled are President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and two members at large.
The bylaws of the Village Players have been revised by a committee to accommodate our new status as property owners and conform to new laws. They have been accepted by the board, and must now be approved by a vote at the general meeting. Anyone who would like to review the revised bylaws should contact Diane Ducret, secretary, at 569-5726, or come to our web site at vp.home.ml.org


Your Board of Directors

Contact us:

In addition to the phone numbers above, you may call the theater at 569-9656, mail us at PO Box 770, Wolfeboro, NH 03894, or e-mail us at villageplayers@usa.net. Our web site is at vp.home.ml.org